Joe, you are a generous soul. I had this about 5 years back in the Captain Lawrence parking lot, right before the Rosso batch 2 release, and now, it's nice to revisit this.

Black with a thick, dark brown head with solid retention and little lacing, this looks good. Even the highlights are a deep brown. The nose is a blend of unsweetened cocoa, lightly roasted coffee, a mild, nutty blend of hazelnuts and cashews and of course, some maple. Not absurdly prominent like, CBS, but still noticeable with a deep and complex aroma with caramel, maple sugar and maple.

The palate opens with a moderate and interesting flavor of what seems like unsweetened milk chocolate, creamy and dusted with cocoa. Male flavor and mild maple sweetness form a backbone, carrying through a nice robust and flavorful maple character. Adequate bitterness is present to temper the maple flavor, especially how it can get to be cloying. Full in body with a long, mildly bitter finish with cocoa, maple sugar and a little honey, this beer is mildly carbonated. Quite impressive.